Monday, March 28, 2011

Alright, well were only a few short days away from fishing season in ME. Finally, it’s time to focus on the important things in life. After getting home Thursday, we spent a fair amount of the weekend getting cleaned up a bit. Friday Boz was kind enough to share a few of the local patterns with me at the vice.
Saturday was a seafood feast at home. You have to love having fresh and inexpensive seafood at your finger tips all year long.

Today (Sunday), Amy and I decided to go get lost around Sebago. I figured it’s a great way to find some open water for the early season, as well as to see some of the spots I had heard about. All in all it was a pretty successful trip.

We’ve got a few options, and a few fishy excursions planned. Stay tuned for some updates throughout the week!

Working on a picture upload issue...hopefully have pics from the weekend up soon!

Sunday, March 20, 2011

Well, with another week of travel planned, the mid week stuff is getting kind of shot. However, when I am in Maine, I’m trying to take advantage of the great events and activities around.

Friday we made it out to the Drake Film Show and had a great time with some friends watching the films. I’m sure some of you have seen the trailer for it, but WOW! Talk about an adventure of a lifetime.

I’ll do you a favor and embed below. Check out their site at www.tapamthemovie.com. A definite must have!

After some great BBQ, we were home to greet our weekend guests. We did end up doing some kid and family things on Saturday, but decided to head back up to Freeport Sunday to see some of the fishy things going on for the Spring Fishing Weekend. We were able to let the kids see the trout in the indoor pond, and even watch a few trout get caught for the catch and release part of the event.

We then headed off to the fly tying section, and had a MARVELOUS time with the guys from the Merrymeeting Bay chapter of Trout Unlimited. They had a section for teaching kids how to tie flies, and the gentleman that we had was phenomenal with the 4 year old of the group.

After a few hours of trout, and getting amped up for a season here in the North Woods, Amy and I cut out to get the pooch out of the house. We took him for a great coastal walk close by the apartment, and had a wonderful time exploring the islands. Still, the smell of salt water just doesn’t get old.

Here are some of the pictures from the weekend. Enjoy and we’ll see you all in a week…if not sooner…
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Well, another week goes by fishless, though I will say that I’m starting to get geared up for some spring fun. I was in Cleveland for the week, and we had a large thaw in Southern Maine. Not all the snow is gone, but a decent chunk…

After a horrible travel day on Friday (14 hours, 5 of which were on a bus and NOT planned), I sat down to the bench on Saturday, and started tying for the first time in months. Since the house has been on the market (a year ago), and really even before that, I hadn’t had much time to really tie flies. Sure I had a few eggs here, and some sucker spawn there, but no real tests. I finally came to the conclusion that I NEED to practice. I spent the last 2 days pushing out some black ghosts, and a few Montreal whores…Nothing too complex, but enough to help me get a bit of an edge back…I have been playing around with a few experimentals but I’m not too sure where they’ll end up…in a box or under a razor…

So on the fishing front…Maine is ice…Boz is being ambitious with a predicted day of April 10th for ice out, so we’ll see. The 10 day has some decent temps in it, so fingers are crossed…
In Ohio, warm weather, wet snow, and rain have kept the rivers HIGH! Some of the smaller tribs have been fishing, but I would definitely say we haven’t had a chance to really get out and see what the fishing will be like after the flood. Fish are being caught, and they are beginning to get a bit more active with some of the run off. Fingers are crossed for a decent spring run there…
Here’s a few pics of the bench over the last few days…

Monday, March 7, 2011

After a crazy few weeks with moves, selling a house, and jumping into the Great State Of Maine...

I'm back in OH for a few days to tie up loose ends, and see some family.

Weekly updates will now include both ME and OH...at least until further notice...

Ohio is still recovering from high rivers. They're above normal flows, and will probably continue that way for a week or so. Rumor has it that fresh chrome have already spread out along the Chagrin river...well above where the dam used to stand.

As far as I know, most of Maine has high water, and will continue to as snow melts for the next few weeks. If anything, ice fishing is the way to go...but do be careful...not sure what the rains last night did to the lakes...

Saturday, March 5, 2011

Heading out to the 2011 Fly Fishing Film Tour tonight at the Frontier Cafe theater in Brunswick, ME. Jury is still out on some of the vids included this year, but we'll hopefully be able to give you a good run of reviews after tonight...

If you're in ME, there may still be tickets available. Call ahead for the 4PM show, or the 7PM show.

Also be sure to check out this years sponsors bringing it up this way...

Wednesday, March 2, 2011

So as many of you know, I’ve always had a soft spot for the state of Maine. I grew up vacationing there, and many of my best childhood memories and adventures (along with mishaps) have occurred in the easternmost state of our nation.

Having grown up in Connecticut and lived in Ohio for the last few years, I’ve found myself wondering what I want to do with my life…what do I want to do? Who do I want to be? Where do I want to be?

About 2 years ago my lovely wife and I came up with a really nutty plan. We decided we should move from the house we had just purchased, and start migrating back to the East Coast. Having already lived in Connecticut, I knew that the hustle and bustle of Southern New England wasn’t going to keep me sane. I needed space…lots of space…and fish…

As I’m sure you’ve already guessed, here I am, in my new apartment just outside of Portland, ME, typing to you in a room full of boxes. We’ve made it, and just in time for the fishing season…

So where does this leave me, and the blog…

Well, I’m positive that this is the beginning of perhaps one of the best chapters in my life. Not only am I in an area I love, but I’m so close to some of the best fishing, hiking, and camping in the world! Brook trout that can exceed 6lbs. Landlocked Salmon that are measured in feet rather then inches. Striped Bass and Bluefin Tuna that visit our coasts…

We’re still going to keep pace with the Midwest gang. Having learned to cast a long rod in Ohio, it will always hold a special place in my heart and soul.

This is going to be the adventure of my lifetime! I’m looking forward to sharing it with you and changing the face of the blog.

The Caravan...A 24' Budget Truck, An Expedition With A 15' Whaler Behind, And A Subaru...All Packed To The Gills...

Tuesday, March 1, 2011

In the mean time, Steelhead Alley took a beating over the last few days...massive amounts of rain Monday melted snow that flooded nearly all the rivers of North Eastern Ohio. The flood that is being recognized as a hundred year flood took out dams, flooded houses, and covered road ways...

The flood actually has opened up SEVERAL miles of fishable water along the Chagrin! The flows that are estimated to have topped 20,000 CFS, blew out the Gates Mills Dam that was the barrier stopping all chrome from moving up river. This will make the spring run quite interesting along the river.

Below are some pictures (from Cleveland.com) we've been able to find online. It's too bad we were unable to check out the river first hand...